I was invited, along with a number of writers spanning a variety of disciplines, to address a group of about 20 high-school-aged aspiring writers. It was part of an ongoing workshop organized by the New Mexico State University’s Borderlands Writing Project and the university’s English department. The Ink Spilling camp — a weeklong summer writing camp — brings together young writers from across the city and exposes them to a number of poets, playwrights, fiction writers and journalists who help them refine their craft.

After the summer camp, the students continue meeting every couple of months and develop their projects throughout the school year. Saturday’s workshop was one of the last for the current group of writers, and the focus was on re-writing and revision.

Each of the writers on the panel shared his or her thoughts on the importance of revision, and then we split up and provided constructive criticism on the students’ individual writings. And, I have to tell you: I was encouraged by what I saw.

One girl, who I believe might be a sophomore, has basically written a novel. And it became clear as we talked that she has created an entire universe of richly complex characters that could easily populate another dozen novels when she finishes this one.

Another student named Jack wrote a brief essay about high school introverts. I told him that I really liked the voice of the piece — which was really conversational — and asked him where he saw it going.

“It feels to me like the narrator in a young adult novel,” I told him. “Like Charlie in ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower,’ or even Hannah in ’13 Reasons Why.’”

“Yeah,” he replied. “I just watched that, actually. That’s kind of what I had in mind — like the beginning of a book, maybe.”

The narrator, Jack explained, was a fictional character — which is to say, this wasn’t a traditional essay. Jack was setting the stage for something larger.

That made me think about how quickly cultural events like “13 Reasons Why,” the Netflix series based on the novel by Jay Asher, can make it into the bloodstream of American pop culture. The series was released on March 31, and already it is having an impact on at least one young writer.

I’m sure he’s not alone. And it’s not just “13 Reasons Why.” There is an entire universe of young adult fiction which has found an adoring audience, and it continues to inspire young writers like those I visited with last weekend. The impact it is having is tangible, and I can’t help but be excited for the future.

I saw that spark in many of the young writers I encountered on Saturday. Several of them indicated to me that they are voracious readers.

Their writing styles varied widely, and some were more polished than other, but I saw great potential in each and every one of them.

I’m looking forward to this summer’s Ink Spilling camp, and working with another batch of bright, young writers.